APPG for Tamils Statement on UNHRC resolution establishing an independent international inquiry on Sri Lanka

The All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPG for Tamils), welcomes the decision by the United Nations Human Rights Council to adopt the resolution on 27th March 2014, which establishes an independent international inquiry into abuses that have taken place in Sri Lanka. The adoption of this resolution is the culmination of five years of hard work by many people around the world; the APPG for Tamils would like to express its sincere gratitude for their dedication and unwavering commitment to seek justice for the victims and survivors of this conflict.

Now the inquiry has been announced, the APPG for Tamils would like to seek clarification on how it is to be implemented. In particular, the APPG for Tamils asks the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) to explain how it plans to conduct the inquiry if Sri Lanka does not cooperate.

The APPG for Tamils also encourages the UK Government to consider how it can encourage the Sri Lankan state and officials, particularly those implicated in the crimes being investigated, to cooperate with the inquiry. The UK Government should use the full range of tools at its disposal to persuade Sri Lanka to comply.

Finally, the APPG for Tamils reminds both the UNHRC and the UK government that the abuses did not end in 2009 – disappearances, arbitrary detention, rape, land grabs and militarisation continue to this day. Therefore, it is crucial that the international community takes immediate action to stop these ongoing crimes, even as the inquiry into past crimes gets underway.